MHR - Errand Day
by Die Einzelganger
Summary: MakoHaruRin / Marinka. A longer story about the mundane exploits of my favorite polyship.
1. Chapter 1

The first rays of the sun draped themselves tentatively across their sleeping forms under the bunched up covers, caressing that tangle of warm bodies, crumpled shirts and limbs curled around each other as a living ward against cold, loneliness and nightmares. Matsuoka Rin heeded its greeting first, scotched in his first blink of vibrant red eyes meeting pale dawn sunlight. His hands immediately found his tight-shut eyelids, rubbing them hard to chase away his stupor. He let out a shameless yawn and rolled over, or at least would have had his right leg not been caught under Tachibana Makoto. The unexpected jolt drew a soft grunt from his neighbor, stirring slowly and lifting his leg just enough to allow Rin's to escape.

"Morning, Rin," mumbled Makoto, his eyelids drooping lazily as he lifted his head. The sound of his voice caused the third bundle to stir too, but in the end induced only stubborn hibernation in Nanase Haruka, who quickly pulled a loose corner of the duvet over his head and pointedly scooted away from both of them. Rin chuckled into his morning stretch, fingers scratching idly at the rough landscape of his stomach.

"Oi, Haru..!" he called over to him, throat still thick with sleep. Haruka's legs twitched further away, cocooned in a mound of heavy fabric. "If you don't get up soon, I'm running without you!"

Haru made no answer but for a deep sigh as Makoto's hand snuck up on him under the blankets, that large palm rubbing his hip slowly, indulgently, oozing heat with each gentle knead of his thin, wiry upper thigh.

"Come, Haru-chan…" came Makoto's voice from beyond the duvet that his other hand soon pinched up and peeled away, Haruka careening his neck towards him just in time for Makoto to miss the side of that dark, bushy scalp and press his lips to Haru's forehead instead. Makoto grinned into his hair, nuzzling him softly while Haru did his best to look pained, eyes still closed in mock hope.

"I'm going downstairs," declared Rin as he admired his bicep in the sunlight, flashing a haughty grin at the others. "And if you are not down in that kitchen in three minutes, I'm going to eat your morning mackerel."

Languid as he looked, Haru managed to glare daggers at him. Makoto allowed himself a chuckle and slowly shifted to his feet, stretching to the ceiling. With no one to stay behind and defenseless mackerel to protect, Haru at last willed himself into sitting up, pushing the covers away with a look of defeat. Rin turned towards the door in a lazy stride and Haruka straightened himself to go after him, only to feel a pull at the back of the oversized shirt he had nicked from Makoto.

"Haru…" Makoto chided him, tugging down the hem of his shirt. "Put on pants first."


	2. Chapter 2

Rin let his pace slacken on the stairs when he heard Makoto, shoulders falling as though his impressive facade had slipped off like a veil. He dragged a crude hand through his hair, rough enough to hurt and send shivers down his spine, and yet his thoughts would not stop drifting back up the stairs to nestle in the folds of the covers, cling to the heat of Makoto's skin and sink down teeth and lip to nurse Haruka's collarbone. It would have been grand to be pulled back just this once, to be wrestled down with tender force, incapacitated between their hands and thighs, but they respected his habits and old habits died hard. Once enforced by a desperate struggle to the top, pride now continued to feed on his desire to look impressive in his tenacity, to be admired for how well he held up when all he wanted to hold were those wonderful idiots upstairs. At least he took good care of them, he told himself. He made Haru jog in the morning at least three times every week to build muscle and stamina, and considering it was _Haruka,_ that was no small feat indeed.

His reluctant feet soon brought him into the kitchen, scratching at some lingering itch between his shoulder blades as he flipped the cupboard open for the cereal box and a bowl. He found the milk with some difficulty, hiding behind some suspicious looking pan of congealed leftovers in the fridge, but at last he was ready to retire with his bounty to the small table in the living room. The next moment brought Makoto and Haru wandering inside, the former in sweatpants and the latter in swimming shorts in lieu of underwear, still wearing Makoto's shirt.

"Took your sweet time," mumbled Rin, shaking the cereal box above his bowl of milk and freckling it with no more than a meager scattering of flakes and an obscene amount of crumbs. "I hate Fridays," he growled, twisting backwards to chuck the empty box at the paper bin. Perfect score.

"I guess we'll have to go shopping today," said Makoto with a hapless smile. Haru had since donned his apron and parted for the kitchen, finding an equally sad and sorry portion of mackerel at the bottom of the cooler, much smaller than he had hoped or remembered. Not that even the smallest piece would be slighted. He gently placed it on the grill plate and turned on the heat, hoping that there would be at least one more slice of pineapple in the bottom of the tin he had tucked into the back of the fridge for safe keeping. Makoto made his way after Haru and checked the breadbox. The last two pieces of sliced bread looked suspiciously stale and quickly landed in the toaster. The fridge yielded little more than an egg to go with, but the tin held three whole slices of pineapple and Makoto happily set it onto the counter for Haru.

"Oi, what else do we have?" came Rin's voice from the living room. Once the others were out of sight, he gulped down his bran flake flavored milk unceremoniously and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You can have some pineapple, I think there might be enough for the two of you," began Makoto. Haru gave him a look and quickly fished out his own share, slipping it onto the grill. Makoto took three plates from the glass cupboard, stopping in the doorway for a moment. "Then there's some toast and… we could share this egg," he said, holding up his prize. Rin scowled at him, glaring at the egg that looked unusually small between Makoto's long fingers.

"Tch. That thing is like a mouthful. How did we run out of food so soon..?"

"Well, we did have Kou-chan, Rei and Nagisa over on Tuesday—"

"Oh right, the bottomless stomach. Still, _one_ egg?"

"Maybe we could make a small omelet," offered Makoto, his shoulders twitching when the toaster popped. Rin rolled his eyes.

"Alright, give it here," he said and grabbed his bowl from the table, nimbly snatching the egg out of Makoto's hand. The bowl was rinsed and the egg cracked into it, Rin setting upon it mercilessly with a fork and plenty of frustration to spend. They had just enough milk and whole wheat flour left to turn it into a lumpy batter. Haru gave it one scornful look and then disappeared into the living room with his creation. Makoto put the kettle on.

When Makoto and Rin emerged again, having divided the omelet and lukewarm toast on two plates, they found Haru sitting idly with his breakfast still untouched, shooting them an expectant glance. Makoto gave him a smile and settled down, placing the pineapple tin next to Haru's plate.

"We have enough between us, Haru. This is yours now," he said, cocking his head to the side. Haru nodded in thanks. Rin shook his head slightly and dotted his omelet with soy sauce.

In truth, none of them had enough between them. Rin was left with a disappointed emptiness that hungered for what he could not have, Makoto's portion was scant compared to his size and Haru found to his sadness that he had eaten way more pineapple than mackerel. Makoto brought in the tea, setting the tray on the table, and then took one more small turn to grab a pen and the rudimentary shopping list off the bulletin board on the wall.

"Detergent… toilet paper… tissues… shower gel… tooth paste… aluminium foil…" he read his notes out loud. "I think I will add 'dish soap' as well," he said, writing it down. "What food should we get?"

"Mackerel, pineapple," said Haru, turning the empty tin between his fingers.

"_Cereal_.Whole wheat flour. Milk, oatmeal, eggs, bread, rice, nori, ramen, squid, lean steak, soba noodles, sesame oil, sprouts, mixed vegetables," chanted Rin. "You know, **actual food**," he added, leaning in to stare Haruka right in the eye. Haru quirked an unappreciative eyebrow. Makoto was still scribbling their wishes onto the paper, tongue peeking out slightly as he went.

"Now, everyone… we do need a lot of things and those are all valid points," he said at last, looking over the now mile-long grocery list and resisting his own selfishness to add coconut milk, green curry paste and eggplants to the bottom of it.

"You're right, it _is_ a lot of stuff," said Rin with a squint. "How much money do we have? Haru?"

"Don't look at me," said Haru, closing his eyes. "I need it to pay bills next week."

"_Great_," scoffed Rin, glancing at Makoto next.

"I don't have too much left, but I'll chip in," said Makoto with a nod. "It should be enough for at least some of this."

"Don't sweat it," was the resigned answer. "I just got my allowance. I'll pay."

"Rin, you don't have to—"

"You can pay me back later," muttered Rin, finishing his tea in one gulp. "And now, whoever is coming to jog with me had better be in gear by the time I wash up!"

"I'm coming too," said Makoto slowly, checking the clock on the wall. "If we just did a short jog over to my house, we might still catch everyone at breakfast and get enough leftovers to make up three bentos. It's worth a try."

And so they all got dressed in shirts and sweatpants once everything was cleaned away, running side by side down the still empty roads towards Makoto's house. His siblings squealed with delight, latching onto their Onii-chan and dangling from his shoulders as though he were their personal jungle gym, and Makoto hugged them close, shooting an apologetic glance at his parents as he asked if they might get an emergency bento each. Ren and Ran immediately chimed in and pleaded their mama, who merely shook her head with one of those Tachibana smiles and checked the fridge. When they parted at last after a lot of fumbling and talk, each in high spirits and tender feelings, Makoto was carrying a stack of three bento boxes full of rice, ham and leftover noodles, slowing his jog considerably not to drop his precious cargo. Rin and Haru slackened their pace to keep him company.

"You people are too nice," said Rin, shaking his head. "It's ridiculous sometimes."

"We are not too nice..!" blurted Makoto, sounding annoyed. "They had enough leftovers to share, just be happy!" He quickly shot a pre-emptive look at Haru. "And don't you dare start with 'niceness brings the worst results!'"

"I wasn't going to say anything," replied Haru, making a show of turning away.

"Haa, sorry Haru.. I just don't want to be scolded for something like this. Don't make me regret asking them, they do so much as is…"

"I was _teasing_ you," said Rin in a softer tone, nudging Makoto in the arm with his elbow and nearly causing him to drop the boxes.

"Thank you for getting us food, Makoto," added Haru, finally coaxing a smile out of him. Rin glanced at his watch.

"I would say in record time, too, but we're actually running late!" he cried and the three of them broke into a sprint, Makoto hugging the bentos fiercely to his chest.

There was only just enough time for a quick wash and a hasty change of clothes, Makoto scrambling to divide the lunchboxes and stuff them into each school bag while the others put on their uniforms upstairs. Rin tossed his tooth brush into the cup by the sink and gave Haru a small smack on his swimsuit-clad bottom before he dashed out of the bathroom, high-fiving Makoto on his way to the door.

"See you at joint practice!" Rin shouted behind him, the backpack thumping rhythmically on his back. Makoto waved at him for as long as he could see him, his hands sinking to his hips once Rin disappeared from view. The stairs creaked lightly and he soon felt a small nudge at his back where Haru let his head droop and pressed his forehead against the nape of Makoto's neck.

"He's always running around like he's never tired," came the weary complaint, whispered between Makoto's shoulder blades. Makoto reached backwards and gathered Haru's hands in his own, squeezing them gently. "It's annoying."

"He does have a lot of stamina and gets up too early for most of us," agreed Makoto. "Would be nice to sleep in every once in a while and just rest, all three of us together.. is that what you're missing, Haru?"

Haru let out a _hmph_ and tensed his shoulders, but his hands gave Makoto's a small squeeze in reply. Makoto sighed and drew them over his stomach, rubbing them softly with his thumbs. "Me too."


	3. Chapter 3

They barely made it to school on time and were promptly and rightfully scolded by a concerned Rei and teased relentlessly by cheerful Nagisa, who were waiting in the hall as usual to say good morning to Haru and Makoto before their classes would take them to separate parts of the building. Fortunately, lunch time was always there to unite them again, bringing everyone and their respective bentos to the roof. Matsuoka Kou joined them too, inquiring about her brother as they all settled down by the wall.

"Rin's doing fine," Makoto told her as he picked at the knot to free his lunchbox. "Don't worry, Kou-chan. He made it to school sooner than we did and he took some lunch, too."

Kou flashed him a sweet smile, taking a mouthful of her rice. "I'm glad you're taking good care of Onii-chan," she said, sounding relieved.

"But not such good care of yourselves, Makoto-senpai," chided Rei, pushing up his glasses. "Tardiness is a sign of faulty time management and not beautiful!"

"Aah, I bet you two snuggled under the covers until you ran late, eh, Haru-chan?" added Nagisa, grinning from ear to ear. Haru gave him a look and then fixed his eyes determinedly on his bento. Makoto shot him an apologetic glance, his cheeks lightly flushed.

"We don't try to be late on purpose, Nagisa…" he said, sampling the noodles in his box.

"Of course not! One just tends to lose track of time wrapped up in the covers and two strong arms squeezing possessively," Nagisa carried on, smiling sweetly as Rei flushed a deeper shade of crimson than Makoto.

"Nagisa-kun..!" came the choked warning. "Don't say such things.."

"Aw, sorry, Rei-chan. I was just joking," replied Nagisa in good humor, quickly stuffing his mouth to show that he shan't be talking for the next five minutes should his lunch last that long. Kou followed suit and took a large mouthful of rice this time, struggling to push the sudden images of possessive arms and glorious biceps out of her mind.

"You're coming to joint practice, of course..?" asked Rei, hoping to break Haruka's stubborn silence. Haru nodded with a small _un_.

"Do you want to come with us afterwards, Haru-chan, Mako-chan?" Nagisa chimed in again between two bites of egg roll. "Rei-chan and I have exams next week and we're going to the library to study for _hours and hours..._" he continued, his voice dipping into a whine as he went on. Makoto chuckled.

"We would, Nagisa," he replied, pinching up the rest of his ham with chopsticks to transfer it to Haru's bento in exchange for the noodles that didn't seem to lessen as quickly as his portion of meat. "But we have errands to run – even my parents gave me some of their bills to pay and we have no more food at the house."

"No more…? Aaah, we ate most of it on Tuesday, didn't we, Mako-chan? Your curry was sooo good!"

Makoto flashed him a smile, obviously proud of his own efforts. Haru may have been the most skilled cook among them, but if there was one thing Makoto could make, it was green curry after his own heart. Rei smiled too, fixing his glasses again.

"It was exquisite, Makoto-senpai," he joined the praise. "Albeit rather spicy…"

"It burned Rei-chan's bum for days," nodded Nagisa, drawing an indignant shriek for Rei who quickly snatched up a dumpling from his own bento and stuffed it in Nagisa's mouth as a make-shift cork.

"_**Stop talking!**_**"**

Makoto's eye twitched. Haru's deadpan look could level mountains.

"Stop being gross about Makoto-senpai's cooking!" scolded Kou. "It was delicious! Even Onii-chan ate some and he doesn't even like curry."

"Thank you, Kou-chan," said Makoto, rewarding her with a sideways smile. "I'm glad you liked it."

"It was good," said Haru, more to himself than anyone else. Makoto's smile widened.

"Well, since we ate all your food, we'll treat you back!" offered Nagisa once he managed to best the obstructive dumpling and set his empty bento aside. "Party at Rei-chan's and we'll order pizza for everyone!" he cried with glee, throwing his arms in the air.

"_Nagisa-kun…!_" snapped Rei. "You can't just promise things like that without proper planning and preparation! And why _my_ apartment, why not _your_ house for a change?"

Nagisa bulked and his shoulders sank, eyes drifting to the floor.

"My sisters come home from college every weekend," he said quietly, hugging his knees. "They'll be all over the house and no one lets me invite friends while they're there because that's 'too many people'…"

Rei's looks softened. He set aside his bento box and scooted a bit closer.

"You may come over this weekend if you like," he said with a lenient smile. "My apartment is much more suitable for studying than a crowded house filled with noise. And we shall have a gathering next weekend if Makoto-senpai and Haruka-senpai wish to come. …And Kou-san and Rin-san too, of course," he added quickly, instantly cheering up Nagisa and Kou.

"Yesss!" "You're the best, Rei-kun!" were their respective answers, eyes gleaming at the prospect of a happy get-together.

"That would be great, Rei," said Makoto, looking excited himself. "I think I can safely vouch for Haru and myself, and you can ask Rin after practice just to be safe. Should we bring anything?"

"Just yourselves, Makoto-senpai," said Rei with the proud look of a perfect future host. "I will take care of everything, leaving nothing to be desired!"

"There's nothing wrong with bringing some sweets though if you can!"

"_**Nagisa-kun…!**_"


	4. Chapter 4

Joint practice began in an hour, and when it ended fifteen minutes to four in the afternoon, Rei cordially asked Rin if he would be able to join them next Saturday for pizza and a possible _Shingeki no Kyojin_ marathon. They were in luck: Rin's only engagement for Saturday was spending the morning in town with Nitori as he had done so for the past weeks to make up for the time he now spent at Haruka's house instead of the dorm room they still shared (having been paid in advance for the whole year and becoming Rin's occasional base of operations). They discussed appropriate time slots, eventually agreeing to gather at five in the afternoon, and all in all, everything was settled very properly despite Nagisa repeating his suggestion that the guests bring dessert, for which he was scolded again. They said their goodbyes and all went their respective ways except for Kou, who stayed behind to make some notes and soon received an enthusiastic offer from Mikoshiba Seijuurou to escort her anywhere she wished – once Matsuoka Rin was sufficiently far away to allow such a proposition to be made, of course.

"We did well," mused Makoto as they walked home from the indoor pool of Samezuka Academy, his smile serene. "Rei's butterfly is improving every day."

Rin scoffed, but it was with a smirk and a laugh as light-hearted as recently found friendship could afford.

"He had better improve every day if he wants to take _me_ head on," he said, straightening himself with savage pride. "Tell him to keep practicing or I might eat him alive! …In fact, tell him that if we don't get some food in the house soon I just might _have to_ eat him alive."

"No need," chuckled Makoto. "As soon as we are home, I will clean up the bentos and take care of my parents' bills so you and Haru may do the shopping together."

Haruka had been silent up to that point, his thoughts still immersed in the sparkling water of the pool, but now he turned his head, quirking an eyebrow at Makoto.

"It's just shopping," he said, his voice dull. "Why do I have to go?"

"Well, you will be getting a lot of things," explained Makoto, his patience inexhaustible. "Rin has to go since he kindly agreed to pay for everything, but he will need an extra pair of hands and shoulders if he is to carry all of it home. I would offer to go but my parents gave me a lot of money and asked me to drop off the change and the receipts, and we did take their extra lunchboxes this morning so I might as well take those back, too."

Haru still looked unconvinced and even turned his head away.

"Too much effort. I don't want to."

"Oi, it's not like _I'm_ looking forward to this," said Rin, shooting a glare at Haru. "I've heard stories of Makoto and Nagisa pulling you out of fish tanks! They may have let it slide because they're too softhearted to get on your case, but if you dare pull something like that on this trip, you'll have to answer to me."

"I only answer the call of the water," replied Haru, eyes solemnly closed.

"You're impossible," growled Rin, now giving Makoto a look. "I don't know how you put up with him, Makoto."

"Simple," replied Makoto, flashing a tender smile at Haru. "I'm just returning the favor."

Haru lowered his head, that small glance of warm confusion at Makoto so acute it made Rin sigh and turn his head.

"Ridiculous," he muttered softly, staring at the shops across the street. "You are both ridiculous."

They soon arrived back at the house and dropped off their schoolbags in the living room. Makoto quickly gathered the empty bentos to wash them while Haruka collected their respective cloths and Rin dumped the contents of his backpack onto one of the counters, keeping only his phone and keys. He then followed Makoto and rummaged through the cupboards for eligible shopping bags while Haru stayed behind to fold the cloths. Once he was finished, Haru fashioned his work into a neat stack and set it down on the living room table, sinking to one of the purple pillows on the floor. He tucked his legs under himself with great care, obviously intending to move no more.

"Haru…" came Makoto's voice from the kitchen, quiet and pleading. "If you don't go, Rin will have to take two trips or I will have to run an extra errand..!"

A pause filled with stubborn silence. Joint practice was too short that day and the bathtub upstairs too alluring.

"Shopping is boring. I don't want to go."

"Aaah, that's too bad…" sighed Makoto, placing the now clean lunchboxes in the plastic bag Rin held open for him, the latter staring angrily at Haruka. "I thought that if you two took care of shopping, I would have just enough time after the post to make a trip to the local fishmonger for fresh-caught mackerel…"

Haru's eyes flashed, vibrant blues rippling as vividly as the ocean.

"Oh well, store-bought it is…"

"Rin, let's go," said Haruka, rising to his feet to get his jacket. Rin stared after him wide-eyed, neck creaking as he turned to Makoto with a look of bewilderment. Makoto merely cocked his head to the side with satisfaction, holding out the shopping list for Rin to take. Rin opened his mouth to say something but nothing came, his hands dropping in defeat. He snatched away the shopping list and would not take his eyes off Makoto as he stomped out of the kitchen to grab his own jacket and backpack. Haru was already waiting for him by the door, proceeding outside without another word once Rin appeared in the hallway.

"See you soon!" Makoto called after them. The door slammed shut in reply and Makoto could not help shaking his head in amusement. He picked up the stack of cloths Haru left for him, placing them carefully on top of the lunchboxes. Ten seconds later, everyone was on their way: Haru and Rin were headed for the tram line that passed by the largest supermarket in town and Makoto began to jog at a light pace to make good time to the post.


	5. Chapter 5

Rin and Haru were soon forced into a desperate sprint to catch the approaching tram, legs in veritable flight as they raced head on, dodging bicycles and weary passersby with little grace and panicked fervor. They leapt on and people poured through the doorway after them, bodies crammed into the narrow aisles like overgrown sardines and crushing them into the neighboring seats they managed to claim on the right. Rin snagged the much-coveted window seat with a snide smirk, the setting sun tingeing his cheeks with warm, muddled yellows through the tinted glass. Haru gave him a look and glanced around, his expression betraying annoyance at the unwanted proximity of others and the conspicuous lack of available window seats. He straightened himself and fell back against the backrest in an attempt to lend his travel some semblance of dignity. A young boy immediately bumped past him, his book-laden schoolbag colliding fiercely with Haru's shoulder.

"You're leaning out too much," muttered Rin, who reached a firm arm around Haruka to pull him inward, giving his shoulder a rough pat. Haru sighed and lifted his head, soon caught in a stare with the sky looming beyond the glass, his imagination melting it into a never-ending pool. Rin slowly followed those large blue eyes, his arm around Haru's shoulders conveniently forgotten.

The supermarket stored its trolleys in thick chains by the side of the entrance. Rin sank his hands deep into his trouser pockets for change, wondering where it all went when he wasn't paying attention. Haru took one look at his struggle and plucked his own lucky token from the inner pocket of his jacket, pressing it in with a small click. A moment later, Rin came jamming his own coin into the slot once, twice before he realized it had been unlocked. He gave Haru an ill-humored look.

"You push it, then."

"That's fine, you push it."

"You push it."

"I don't want to."

"You're gonna push it or.. or I'm calling Makoto!" declared Rin on a whim, fixing his eyes on Haruka with a smirk as he reached towards his backpack and prodded inside to grab his phone. Haru persevered, his lips pursed and his brow creased, but once Rin flipped his phone open, he placed his hands on the handle of the cart.

"There is no need," he said flatly, jerking the cart loose and pushing it towards the entrance, his posture tense. Rin watched him almost in shivers. He did it: he undeniably made Haruka submit to him, and yet it did not feel like a true victory. It wasn't quite right, not the way Makoto always did it. What was the difference..? Did that difference even matter as long as the result was obedience? The other's hard stride, the stiffness of Haru's shoulders told him it did, and Rin could feel his mouth curl into an irritated frown as he stared down at his phone, gnawed by some vague sensation of guilt. (_Was it even about obedience..?_) In the end, he yanked his backpack off his shoulders and tossed the phone inside, letting it sink under the plastic bags. He lowered his head as he swung the backpack over his shoulder again, hurrying after Haruka though he now uselessly wished himself into some slow-inching line of strangers at the post office in place of Makoto. Without him, Nanase Haruka proved a delicate instrument that Rin's grasping hands could pluck no sweet sounds from where soft melodies would have sufficed.

Haru and the cart were headed towards the aisles, his pace betraying a general lack of interest in his errand, the aimlessness of hardly knowing where to go except inward, towards the vast variety of products and the disturbing monotones of needlessly loud supermarket music. Rin now searched for the shopping list he had crammed into one of his pockets, flattening it out as best he could. He glanced up at the signs hanging between the aisles and then lifted a hand to catch Haru by the shoulder and stop his forward march. The cart creaked to a halt. Haru raised his head, brow lightly quirked.

"Come on, toiletries are this way," said Rin as quietly as he could in the general din of the store, his hand pressing ever so slightly to Haruka's back to usher him in the right direction. Haru felt tense beneath the jacket but his shoulders soon slackened, sinking into calm passivity. Rin suppressed a sigh. Perhaps it was just as well: at least the steady roll of the cart promised an easy shopping trip.

That's where he was wrong: Haru turned out to be a poor choice for pushing the cart. He kept wandering away in all possible directions whenever Rin stopped to carefully consider the difference between brands of detergent or the desirable thickness of toilet paper. He temporarily became deaf when Rin shouted after him and always looked mildly surprised at Rin running over more than once to dump his cargo into the cart. Worst of all, when Rin tried to voice his suspicion that all of this hassle may not have been entirely coincidental, Haru fended off every complaint with some proof of usefulness, each time a new much needed item appearing in the cart just before the other caught up with him. That, however, was little consolation to Rin, who at one point picked out and then promptly dropped a box of cereal that snapped, crackled and popped against the ground because Haruka had pulled the cart away just moments prior, distracted by gleaming tins of pineapple on the opposite shelf. Rin quickly snatched up the fallen box and switched it for another, hoping no one had seen him. He then stepped over to the cart and brought a heavy hand down on the opposite end of it, popping the cereal box safely inside.

"Tell me something, Haru," he began through his teeth. "How does Makoto put up with this shit, huh?"

"I don't know what you mean," came the calm answer as Haru began loading unsweetened naturally preserved pineapple into the cart. Rin could feel his eye twitch.

"Who pushes the cart when you go shopping?"

"Makoto."

"So, you hold the grocery list."

"No, Makoto."

"..So you put whatever he says into the cart for him."

"No, Makoto."

"So what do _you_ do then, Haru, what the hell do **you** do?"

"I do what I want," replied Haru, plucking another tin off the shelf. Rin finally had enough and grabbed his wrist, his grin dangerously sharp.

"Who's paying for groceries today..?"

Haru glared at him.

"…You."

"Then you don't get to have seven cans of pineapple today," said Rin, shoving four surplus tins back onto the shelf before he released Haru's wrist and allowed him to keep the one he was still clutching for dear life, leaving three cans altogether. Haru squinted at him.

"I'm telling Makoto."

"Not before I tell him I had to drag you away from the inflatable pool section because the clerk began auto-dialing his manager the moment he saw you."

_Touché._

"What do you want, Rin."

Rin drew a deep breath through his nose, deep enough to stifle an agonized scream and instead shout, with no room left for arguments,

"_Stop screwing around and push the damn cart!_"


	6. Chapter 6

The rest of the shopping trip was for the most part uneventful. Bored out of his skull but resigned to be more cooperative than he had been, Haru now pushed or stopped the cart as Rin commanded. Instead of taking it along as he had done, he now left the cart by Rin's side whenever he himself found something of interest to add, and his contributions were surprisingly in tune with the shopping list's general guidelines considering he had heard its contents just this morning and never once asked to see it while they were browsing down the aisles. He could not compare to Nitori of course, who always pushed the cart with the greatest pleasure and was naturally attentive to the list bearer's wishes, but when Rin considered the before and after of their venture, he was almost taken aback by the extent of Haruka's newfound willingness to be helpful, so much so that he began to suspect an ulterior motive. He was not very far from the truth.

"Well, that's everything," said Rin as he added one more bag of frozen vegetables to the cart, prudently leaving everything fridge-bound for the final round. Looking at the cart, he finally let his once tense features smooth into a rough smile, one of tired satisfaction at a job painfully but irrefutably done. It had been filled to the brim with everything useful and nothing superfluous, each item earned with sweat and vexation so deep it made their value jump tenfold. All Rin had to do now was pay for it and transport it home, and considering the weight of the cans and how the toilet paper alone would take up a bag of its own, he was now sufficiently glad for Haruka's company.

"One more thing," spoke Haru, dispelling the illusion of impending freedom. Rin quirked a brow and quickly checked his list, finding little rips in the paper across every item Makoto had scribbled down, made necessary by having left all his pens at home.

"There are no more items on the list, Haru," said Rin, half expecting him to want some store-bought mackerel after all. Instead, following his lead, Rin soon found himself treading down the sweets aisle, his frozen vegetables now in danger of thawing out more than might be good for them.

"Are we seriously getting dessert for next Saturday?" asked Rin, sounding annoyed. "Forget it, Haru, I'm not fattening up Nagisa on my allowance. You know how much he eats…!"

Haru paid little attention to him while he inspected the impressive selection of choice candy bars and almost immediately picked one with suspect familiarity. It was good quality milk chocolate, large and thick and handsomely wrapped, just teetering on the edge of too expensive to be allowed. Haru turned to Rin and showed him the bar, not looking him directly in the eye.

"Can we get this?" he asked quietly, holding it out. Rin stared at him. "…For Makoto."

Rin's brow slipped upward, taking the bar from Haru to turn it between his fingers, hardly knowing what should offend him more: the price or the fact that he received no such gesture for his troubles. The high quality of the ingredients gave him pause. He was fairly certain he had never seen Makoto eat such a bar before or even eat much chocolate in general, but something about the way Haruka lowered his head as he waited opposite Rin for the verdict, something in the gleam of his eye told him that, if nothing else, Makoto may have whispered that wish to no one in particular on a shopping trip just like this one, right before pushing his cart past the aisle because it would have been selfish to get himself something this nice.

"Tch. _Fine_," sighed Rin after a moment's struggle, resisting the urge to toss the candy bar into the cart. He handed it back to Haru instead, who gingerly laid it on top of everything and resumed his position by the handle of the cart. "Are we done now?"

"Un," nodded Haru, his eyes now resting peacefully on the chocolate.

"Finally…"

They were soon standing in line to the cashier, Haruka holding onto the cart as patiently as though he had reached sainthood in the short time the candy bar was chosen and approved by the financial powers above. When it was their turn, he helped Rin unload the cart without so much as a prompt, careful to put the chocolate on the conveyor belt last so that nothing would press against its pristine wrapper or crush its perfectly rectangular shape. He then pushed the empty cart past and neatly divided the groceries between the five plastic bags Rin brought along and two more paper bags that they were obliged to get from the cashier. The chocolate bar was tucked away into one such paper bag and when they finally walked out of the store, shopping bags dangling heavily from their hands, Haruka cradled that paper bag to his chest with a small smile so full of warm pride that Rin felt his cheeks heat up just peering at him.


	7. Chapter 7

They soon turned around the corner and spotted blinking tram lights in the distance. Without thinking, both began to quicken their pace, gradually breaking into a sluggish run that swung the plastic bags wildly about and smacked them hard against their thighs. Rin was less careful than Haru and all but tossed his purchases on board onto the empty seats across the backdoor, keeping his foot in the doorway until Haru scrambled up the stairs and collapsed on the first clear seat in his path. Rin slammed down next to him and they turned to each other, waves of relief washing over them as the door closed and the tram began to inch towards home. Haruka held the paper bag a little closer to his heart with that small smile still in place. Rin shook his head and grabbed his backpack, scraping the bottom for his phone.

He flicked it open to find two missed calls and one text message. _Makoto. _Rin speed-dialed him, nestling comfortably into his seat.

"Rin..!" came Makoto's voice, sounding relieved.

"Hey," replied Rin, staring idly into the darkness looming beyond the glass. "We've got everything and are on our way home."

"Ah, great! You got the mackerel then?"

Rin flinched as though he had been struck. His eyes darted to Haru, wide and blank in utter confusion.

"I thought _you_ were getting mackerel," he blurted into the phone, cursing his lack of judgment immediately as Haru's eyes bore into him like spikes.

"The market closed earlier than usual," explained Makoto, his voice panicked. "I called to ask you to buy Haru some mackerel from the store until we could get fresh..!"

As Makoto spoke, Haru's look of alarm gradually hardened into a glare too uncomfortable to ignore. Rin slowly turned to him and lowered the phone, his features tense.

"He couldn't get you mackerel," he said reluctantly, carefully avoiding the other's eyes. Haru's face hardened in disbelief, reaching over to take the phone from Rin's hand and press it to his ear, his fingers clenching around it.

"You promised that if I went shopping with Rin you'd get me fresh-caught mackerel," he spoke, every word a calm but poignant accusation leveled at their reflections in the opposite window.

"I'm sorry Haru, he fishmonger had closed by the time I got there, you see" came Makoto's reply, his tone gentle and soothing, adding insult to injury. "I'm not sure why but there may have been an accident because the sign said—"

Haru did not care what the sign said. He lowered the phone, letting Makoto's clear baritone fade into a low mumble in the palm of his hand and fixed his eyes on the ground in a defiant glare. That continuous murmur soon dissolved into confused silence and pleas of "Haru..? Haru, are you there..?" until Rin lost his patience and snatched his phone back, lifting it quickly to his ear.

"Haru…!"

"We'll see you at home," he muttered and ended the call, flipping his phone shut. His glance shifted to Haruka to catch his eyes but Haru turned his head away from him, his left hand tightening around the paper bag as though its contents didn't matter anymore.

"Don't be stupid," said Rin when he could no longer endure the sudden change from content smile to sore disappointment. "He doesn't control the shop. It's not like he forgot."

Haru refused to acknowledge him, his shoulders stiff and fingers crumpling the bag just a little harder. Rin bared his teeth.

"Then be mad at _me_, you idiot!" he snapped, not caring that Haru pointedly scooted a bit further away from him and the people around them began to stare. "He tried to reach me twice but I didn't hear him from the goddamn music and I didn't bother to check my phone once. He called me specifically to tell me to get you mackerel from the store. He even, _look_, he even left me a text message," he continued, flipping his phone open again in a frantic mash of the keys to bring up the message he still hadn't checked. "_Please get Haru mackerel at the store, the market's closed. Makoto_."

He practically shoved the phone in Haruka's face, forcing him to read, and for one long moment the other seemed to relent, his lips pursed in obvious struggle. Haru sighed and Rin broke into a tentative smile, but the next moment, ever so slowly, Haruka lowered his eyes to the paper bag in his grasp, the chocolate bar still glistening in its nest of groceries. He shifted and the paper bag sank onto the seat next to him, leaving his lap empty except for his now idle hands. Rin's mouth curled into a frown and he slumped back into his seat, letting silence fall between them like heavy snow. The tram inched onward unbearably slowly, as if this was going to last forever.


	8. Chapter 8

In complete acknowledgement of his defeat, Rin had no choice but to wait patiently until they got home so that Makoto's words and smiles may work their magic on Haruka. In retrospect, the phone was a poor medium to convey apologies: face to face, Makoto's charms were nigh-impossible to resist. The soft lilt of his voice had smoothed over many an argument and where physical contact with him could not soothe, not immediately, his body served as a barrier, neutral ground where two clashing forces could lay opposite one another in perfect silence, letting that third heart between them slowly but inevitably reconcile theirs. Rin always thought he could do it all by himself but experience and time had proven him wrong. They desperately needed Makoto and never more so than in a crisis.

Their steps had since lost their spring, lugging their bags with lurching steps up the stone stairs towards Haruka's house. They passed Makoto's on the way and Haru's eyes flitted to the wooden gate for one moment, quickly turning his head back to keep his eyes firmly on the steps. Rin suppressed a sigh.

Makoto must have seen them from the upstairs window and was waiting by the entrance when they arrived, the door wide open and Makoto ready to help with their groceries and make them any amends.

"Hey…" he greeted them, reaching out for Haru's paper bag, but Haru clutched it even harder and shuffled right past him, looking straight ahead. Rin rolled his eyes and let Makoto take one of his. "Thanks for getting all of this," continued Makoto with less certainty, carrying the bag towards the kitchen.

"Welcome," said Rin, dumping his own luggage on the living room table. In the meanwhile, Haru had set his shopping bags down on the kitchen counter but hadn't let go of the paper bag, carrying it with him everywhere as he unloaded its contents into the fridge and cupboards, always shifting the chocolate bar carefully about to keep it hidden from Makoto. He drew out tins, parcels and packets almost randomly, moving about just enough to ward off conversation, and he succeeded. Makoto set the paper bag he had gotten from Rin on the counter and watched Haruka move about, waiting for a good moment to offer help and ended up missing his chance. Once Haru appeared to be done with the paper bag, he left the kitchen without a word, the empty thing still in his hand. His posture had since grown less tense, his features less sharp. With some hope of placating him, Makoto ignored the rest of the groceries to go after him.

"Haru…" he said softly when he reached the living room doorway. Haruka paused, just one step shy of the staircase. "I'm really sorry, Haru. I promised because I was certain I could get it, but I was wrong. The market opens again next week. I'll get you some fresh-caught mackerel then."

Their eyes met for a brief moment and Haru's quickly flitted to the banister. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay," was all he said, his tone bored and resigned. Makoto hesitated.

"I… thought we could order some take-out for dinner. Everybody's had a long day, it might be nice not to have to cook," he said, fully aware that Haru was the only capable cook in the house and there was no point expecting him to oblige them now. "What would you like to have, Haru?"

"Mackerel," replied Haru without hesitation, his face expressionless. Makoto closed his eyes.

"Do you want me to order for you?"

"Do what you want. I don't care," came the calm reply and Haru began his climb up the stairs, leaving two possibilities. They had an implicit rule that any one of them settling down inside their common bedroom was a sign of either requesting company, wanting to have sex or seeking reconciliation after a feud. Whoever ended up there after a fight was not serious about their grudge and ready to move on, else they would have went off to brood somewhere else – Makoto onto the terrace to keep out of everyone else's way, Rin sitting down on the staircase in plain sight to share as much of his ire as humanly possible, and Haruka into the bathroom… and Makoto could tell just by his gait that Haru picked the bathtub over the make-shift bed they shared.

"Now wait a minute—" Rin called after him, passing Makoto but almost immediately pulled back by his arm, caught in the other's gentle grasp.

"Don't, Rin. It's okay," said Makoto, trying for a faint smile. "…Really, it's fine."

"No, it's not okay," growled Rin, tugging his arm out of Makoto's hold. "Why can't he understand that you didn't cheat him out of his fucking mackerel on purpose? Why should _he_ get away with being a jerk?"

"_Rin_," Makoto interrupted him, his voice quiet but firm. "You know he's not being a jerk. He's just disappointed – you would be, too, in his place."

Rin narrowed his eyes. "But you take care of him every single day. Ever since kindergarten I bet your whole life has been Haru, you take care of him twenty-four-seven so why can't he let it go just this once?"

"If you promise something and then let down the person who trusted you, they have a right to tell you and feel angry," said Makoto, his tone calmer. "Except he's not so much angry as tired, I think. It's been a long day and you can tell by the tone—"

"He should never talk to you like that," said Rin, his features still hard and his tone a little too bitter. "He knows you love him more than anybody."

Makoto's smile was pained but it was undeniably a smile. He reached out for Rin and wrapped his arms around the other, his hands rubbing up and down as if searching for a place to settle, pressing him close.

"I love you too, you know," he said, gentle and chiding. Rin snorted and squeezed back, clinging greedily to Makoto's heat after the cool air of outdoors and the colder glares of Nanase Haruka. They disentangled slowly, neither truly ready to let go. "Thanks, Rin," said Makoto, his eyes brighter. "…Can you do me a favor?"

"Depends on the favor," said Rin, grinning playfully as his hands slipped back and settled on Makoto's belt. Makoto gave him a look.

"Can you order take-out for us?" he said and it was Rin's turn to make a face, his fingers kneading selfishly at the hems of Makoto's trousers before they let go. "Doesn't matter where from, just try and get Haru mackerel or squid if they don't have it," finished Makoto with a sheepish look, turning away from the other to head towards the coat rack in the entrance hall. "I'm going to the store."

"The stores close in _fifteen minutes_," groaned Rin, walking after him, but Makoto seemed adamant, tugging on his jacket and quickly checking the coat pockets for his wallet.

"It's worth a try," he said, fishing out some bills and reaching them out. Rin took them with a confused look. "For take-out."

"I have money left," said Rin, quirking a brow.

"You spent a fortune already," sighed Makoto, reaching for the door handle. "Please don't tell Haru. I don't want to get his hopes up again."

"I won't, jeez," said Rin, rolling his eyes. "Just go, I'll take care of it."


	9. Chapter 9

Rin was not the best candidate for the job, but Makoto asked him and so he did his best, checking his smart phone for available places and settling on one that specialized in meat dishes. He quickly picked the best they had to offer – his consolation prize for the indignities he suffered, the treat that he well earned for not stuffing Haruka into the cart within the first five minutes of their shopping trip in hell. He couldn't believe he bought that chocolate bar and Haruka was now pretending it didn't even exist. Just the thought of it was drumming at his temple with the light throb of an on-setting headache. He ordered curry for Makoto and fried squid for Haruka, promising himself that if Haru didn't eat it, Rin would eat it right after his steak for dessert just to spite him.

Once he placed his order, he snuck upstairs just to confirm his suspicions, and sure enough, the common room was empty, Haruka's bedroom untouched and the bathroom door shut with freshly stripped clothes lying in the hamper of the washroom. Rin paused and checked the bedroom one more time but saw no traces of the paper bag or the chocolate. The realization that Haruka took it into the bathroom with him made him slap a hand on his forehead. He paused and headed back to the bathroom, knocking on the door.

"I ordered take out," he said loud enough to hear inside.

"Whatever." Haru's voice sounded so bored and lifeless it made Rin want to shake him.

"_Thank you, Rin_," he said out loud, his words dripping with acid.

"Anytime," came the nonchalant reply that finally drove Rin out of the washing room and storming down the stairs, fuming all the way to the living room where he dropped onto one of the pillows, racking his mind for ways of getting Haru back without drawing too much disapproval from Makoto. _Makoto…_

Rin finally had a glorious moment of eureka, a scheme soon forming in his mind. He had to devise two versions of it just in case, but there was little difference: all it hinged on was who would make it to the house first – Makoto or the delivery service.

He began putting away the groceries forgotten on the table and the kitchen counter, moving on to the things he himself had left on another counter, and by the time he tidied up the two areas, the delivery service won. Within twenty-five minutes, their dinner and Makoto's money exchanged hands, leaving Rin to the solitary task of setting the table for dinner and placing everyone's orders by their plates. He stalked up the stairs to check on Haruka. The bathroom was still occupied, just as he wanted it to be.

He snuck back downstairs and stopped in the living room doorway to keep an eye and ear open for the stairs, dialing Makoto.

"Hey," he said when the phone picked up, his voice hushed.

"Rin..?" answered Makoto, his tone a little alarmed.

"Did you get it?"

"No… the first store closed right in front of me so I went to another one, but that was closed too. They are probably all closed by now."

"Sucks. Where are you?"

"I think I'm some ten minutes from the stone stairs. I'm heading back now."

"Alright, thanks," said Rin, ending the call and putting his phone away. He had at least fifteen minutes. _Perfect. _He could just barely contain himself, still struggling with a smug grin when he finally straightened up and held his hand to his mouth.

"Makoto! Dinner's here!" he shouted. "Oi, Makoto…!"

He called for him a few more times on his way up the stairs and towards the bathroom, and by his last cry of Makoto's name, the bathroom door slid open and out stepped Haruka, rubbing his hair with a towel.

"Took your sweet time..." said Rin, eyeing him carefully with his features now guarded. Haru shuffled past him without a word, the paper bag once again hanging from his hand.

"I guess you haven't seen Makoto either, then.." continued Rin, and Haru slowly turned around, his brow quirked. "I've been calling for him to come eat, but he hasn't."

Haruka's eyes flashed. His pace was calm at first, walking past Rin towards the closed door of their common room, but when he found it empty, his steps quickened on the way to his own room, having lost the paper bag somewhere along the way.

"Makoto?" he said as he pulled the door open, but the room was silent and barren. "Makoto!" he cried again and now hurried down the stairs, Rin after him in a valiant effort to keep up his charades. They opened doors and peeked past curtains, nearly stumbling into one another as they raced from room to room. Haru pulled the living room sliders apart to reveal a deserted terrace; he poked his head out, tentatively calling the other's name a few times until Rin pulled him back and slammed the door shut hoping Makoto was still far away, telling Haruka he would just catch cold like that. Haru left for the hallway again, and when Rin caught up to him, he found him standing by the coat rack, having finally noticed that Makoto's jacket and shoes were gone. Haruka stared at the door, unmoving. Rin took a deep breath.

"You know what I think?" he began, his tone slow and stern though he felt like shouting triumphantly, glad that he wasn't just speculating when he said, "I bet you anything he went out to get you some goddamn mackerel."

Haruka turned to him, his face no longer deadpan. His eyes were large, gleaming strangely in the light.

"You apparently can't go for one day without it and he loves you so much he probably snuck out and went down to the store the moment I turned my back. I bet he ran _all_ the way down the stairs, too, just to make it on time. Too bad for him all the stores closed twenty minutes ago because everything closes early in this stupid town. Too bad the market shut down too, just so all his hard work to please you would be wasted."

Haruka's eyes bore holes into the ground.

"Don't you just love that feeling?" said Rin, staring at him. "That feeling when you do your best for someone and all they do is shit all over you?"

Haru bit his lip and the next moment brought him in front of Rin, never looking him in the eye as he leaned in and pressed his lips against his cheek. Rin narrowed his eyes.

"Is that really all I get for putting up with you today..?" he said, his tone a little softer. Haruka tensed and then nudged against him in a real kiss, scooting closer. Rin snuck his arms around him, kissing back insistently as two pairs of hands fumbled over each other's backs searching to scratch and hold on, but before Rin's blood could truly start boiling, Haruka's mouth broke away from his, their cheeks brushing together. Rin sighed.

"You're worried, aren't you," he muttered into the emptiness left by the other. There was a pause and Haru nodded against him, resting his head against Rin's shoulder. Rin rubbed a careful hand over his back, shaking his head. "Serves you right, but he'll be back soon."

Haruka tensed and then pulled away to look Rin properly in the eye. "Rin."

"Hn?"

"Are we even?"

Rin quirked an eyebrow. "You mean do I forgive you for being the worst person I've ever gone shopping with?"

Haruka managed a glare. "You're a pain," he said and added under his breath, "Makoto never complains."

"Since when does Makoto ever complain about anything?" snapped Rin. Haruka pursed his lips. "Just admit you did all that crap on purpose and I'll forgive you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Haru, his face unreadable.

"Next time I'm leaving you at home and taking Makoto," fumed Rin, folding his arms over his chest. He shot a snide look at Haruka. "I bet he'll make it worth my while…"

Haruka narrowed his eyes but soon closed them calmly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Good luck. He gets spooked easily and worries too much that someone will see."

"…How do you— no. I don't want to know," said Rin, looking fascinated and disgusted at the same time. Haruka allowed himself a small smile. "You're unbelievable. Why couldn't you pull something like that today instead of being a nuisance?"

Haruka shrugged again.

"Maybe I'll take you again sometime after all," mused Rin, flashing him a lazy grin. Haru turned his head in reply but his eyes soon fell on the door again, his shoulders slackening. Rin closed his eyes, rubbing lightly at his temple.

"Go get dressed or something, he might be back by then," he said and Haruka turned to head up the stairs, his foot hovering over the last step when there was a click by the door. Haruka turned and came rushing back, stopping a few steps short of the floor as Makoto came inside, his cheeks flushed in the cold and his hands woefully empty. As though he had been caught red-handed, Rin quickly turned his head. Haruka said nothing, eyes wide and fixed on Makoto.

"Rin.. Haru…" spoke Makoto, stopping in the entrance hall.

"Welcome back, Makoto," muttered Rin, glancing over to Haruka, who lingered for one more second and then started heading upstairs.

"Haru?" Makoto called after him, his brow creased in worry. Rin let out a groan of anguish, tearing in to his hair, but a few moments later, they heard footsteps. Haruka had come back, climbing down the stairs again, and when he arrived, he lifted his hands and held out the chocolate bar towards Makoto.

"Rin bought you this," he said quietly, unable to look Makoto in the eye. "When we went shopping."

Makoto paused and stared, his eyes drifting to Rin in an affectionate smile.

"Rin…" he began to say but Rin shook his head, making a show of rolling his eyes as he nodded emphatically at Haruka, finally grinning himself. Makoto's eyes widened.

"Haru.." breathed Makoto and he stepped forward to pull Haruka into his embrace, wrapping his arms firmly around him. Rin almost expected Haruka to reel and protest against being held so tightly, but he said nothing, did not even make a sound. Makoto drew up his free hand to brush his fingers through Haru's hair, pressing slow, hard kisses to his scalp, and when Haru managed to turn his head and peer up at Makoto, the other kissed his forehead more gently, lips and hand lingering lovingly in his hair.

"I won't open it until I get you fresh-caught mackerel," whispered Makoto and Rin shook his head, squeezing among them quickly to enjoy one moment of perfect peace, three hearts beating warmly in unison.


End file.
